Adjustable electrolier.



. PATENTED MAR. zo, '19.06.

' A. HOPKINS.

ADJUSTABLE ELEGTROLIER. APPLICATION FILED MARJL, 1905.

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. Umrnn "STATES PATE-Nr ormoni.:

vALTON noPKINs, OF DENVER, COLORADO.' y'i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 20, V1.906.Y

\ l ippua'aon nea mmh 24,1905. saisir. 251,899.

I To a/ZZ whom, zizi may concern;-

l do declare the Jfollowing of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements iny Amarily, to provide a Be a known that I, Ammv HOPKINS, a ein! zen of the United States, residing in the cityx ing drawings, and to the letters and figures' of re e rence marked thereon, which form a part adjustable electroliers, my object being, prisimple and eicient device Jfor the vertical adjustment of an electric lamp or other suitable or similar device which it is desired to suspend from the ceiling of a room or other suitable support.4

wound, an

being emp 4oy spectivelyand insulated Generally s eaking, the mechanism com# le depending stationaryv sup-v is revolubly mounted a spring prises a suita plort in which eld drum, upon whichv 'the electric conductors leading ,to the incandescent lamp are desired number of convolutions ed, dependingon the degree or range o f yertical adjustment which it isl desired to' allow the lamp.I the conductors remote from'the lamp are reconnected with electrodes insulated from each other and mounted to rotate with the drum, the revoluble electrodes being in engagement., respectively, with two contacts mounted on the stationary support tacts being respectively connected with conductors leading to the poles of the source of current-supply. The spring mechanism connected with the drum is believed -to be novel andl consists of a number of'springs and a number of disks provided withhubs mount,- ed on-the stationary axle of the drum. outer extremity o'Il one spring is connected lwith tle drum, while its inner extremity is connected with the hub of the irstfdisk, the said hub being revoluble on the axle. The

" outer extremity of the next spring is connected with the irst jdisk at a point suitably remote from the axle, while its inner extremity is connected with the hub of a' second, disk. The outer extremity of the thir spring is connected with the second disk at a suitable distance -from the axle ,while its inner extremity is connected directly with the st-a- The'extre'nities of.

from each other, the said con' The tionary axle. 'It lwill thus` be understood that as the drum is rotatedwhat I will term the first spring will be placcdvunderten- -sion by the movement of itsv outer'extremity in adirecti'on to tighten the springor place it under tension.' The ytension of this -spring will act on the hub of the irst disk and have atendency to move the disk C, acting on the second spring to place it under tension, and its tension will act on the second disk to place the third spring under tension. rIt isl evident that my multiple-spring mechanism may be carried to any desired extent-that is-to say, any suitable number of springs may be employed.A

Having briel outlined my improved construction, as wel as the function it-is intended to perform, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,'in which is illustrated l an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings,A Figure 1 tion of my improved adjustable electrolier, the conductors beingA broken above the lamp. Fig. 2 is a section taken through the drumis a side elevaand-springmechansm with the lamp shown in place. fFig. 3 is an enlargedv fragmentary sectional'view taken through `the electrodes..

and illustrating their relation with the springcontacts..

The same reference characters indicate the 'same parts in all the views.

Letthe 'numeral 5 designate a suitable hanger'composed of two depending-arms 6 and 7, in vthe lower extremity of which is journaled a roller 8f' In a slot 9, formed in Y one of these arms, is inserted the extremity 10 ofthe stationary axle 12. @This extremity ofthe axle is an ular in cross-section, and the slot is shape to fit the same, whereby v the axle 1s prevented from rotating with'the drum: The drum 13 is mounted to rotate a on this axle and also in the stationary arm 7 Thehead 14 of the drum is in direct engagement with the axle 12, while tothe head 1 5 roo of the drum is made fast a hollow journall,

which engages a-:bearing 17, formed in the bracket-arm 7.v IThe drum is also provided with a plate 18 intermediate its head, which engages the extremity 19 of the axle remote from the extremity 10, the said extremity 19 being cylindrical, whereby the plate 18 turns freely thereon.

The axle near one extremity thereof is pro-- vided with a ratchet 2 0, which is engaged by pawls 21', pivotally mounted on the drum. i

These'pawls areadapted` to lock the drum when the lamp is in any desired position or vertical adjustment; but by a quick downward pull the pawls may be disengaged from the drum and the latter allowed to reverse under the influence of its springs on the same principle as an ordinary curtain-roller meehanism.

Between the head 14 and the plate 18 of the drum is located a number of springs, which for convenience of description I will designate as 1, 2, and 3, though they are all of substantially the'same construction. The outer extremity of the spring 1 is connected with a pin A, made fast to the plate 18, while its inner extremit is connected with ahub B oi a disk C, the liub being revoluble on the axle 12. Theouter extremity ofthe spring 2 VVlocatedat the center of -th vnal circuit, the said conductors I lated is connected with a pin D, fast on the disk C, while its inner extremity is connected with the hub E of adisk F, the hub being also revoluble on the axle. The outer extremityvof the spring 3 is connected with a pin G, fast on the disk F, while i-ts inner extremity is connected directly with the axle 12.

Mounted in and upon the hollow journal 16 of the drum are two electrodes, (designated H and I, respectively.) These electrodes are separated from each other. by suitable insulating materialJ. The extremities of the electrical conductors K and L remote he lamp 22 are res ectively connected with the electrodes H and I. These conductors, as shown in the drawings, are provided with suitable insulatingcovering and are twisted together in the usual manner and wound upon the cylindrical part ofthe drum located between the two heads 14 and 15. It is evident that if the lamp is vpulled down the drum will be rotated, to ether with the electrodes H and I. These elctrodes are respectively in engagement with spring-contacts 23 and v24, the latter being connected, as shown at 25 and 26, with the inner extremities of the conductors 27 and 28 of theexterbeing insufrom each other, as shown in Fig. 2, From the foregoing description the use and operation of my improved adjustable electrolier will be readily understood. Whetherit is .desired to lower or raise the lamp the drum isrotated in the one instance by the force applied by the user to pull the lamp downwardly andin the other case by the recoil of the multiple-spring mechanism connected with the drum, as heretofore explained. As the drum rotates the electrodes H and 'I 'are alsovrotated; but this does not interfere with their proper engagement withthe spring-contacts 23 and 24, since the electro 4e H is cylindrical and concentric with'the drums axis, while the electrode I is e drums movement or in line with its axis. Hence it is evident that the drum may be rotated at pleasure, while the e extremity of one circuit remains intact. The roller 8 acts as an antifrictional guide, being engaged by the lamp-conductors as the lamp is raised and lowered.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an adjustable electrolier, the combination with a stationary support, a drum revoluble thereon, spring mechanism connected with the drum and consisting of a number of coilspringn members occupying parallel planes, the inner extremity of one outside spring being connected wit the stationary support, and the outer extremity of the other end spring connected with the drum, disks having hubs revolubly mounted on the support, the inner extremities of all the springs except the first named end spring being respectively connected with the hubs of the said disks, `and the outer extremities of all the springs except the. other end spring, res ectively connected with the disks at points suitably distant from the hubs, internal circuit-conductors wound on the drum, external circuit-conductors, electrodes connected with the internal circuit-conductors and revoluble with the drum, and stationary contacts connecting the electrodes with the external A circuit-conductors.

2. The combination with a stationa support, conductors forming the internal circuit, and conductors forming the external circuit, of-an axle fast in thestationary support, a drum journaled on the axle, coilring mechism comprising a number of individual coilsprings occupying parallel planes, the inner end spring being connected with the axle, the outer extremity of the other end spring being connected with the drum, hubs journaled on the axle and provided with parts extending outwardly therefrom, the innerextremities of all the springs except the first-named end spri being connected with the said hubs, and t e outer extremities of all the springs exce t'the other end s ring being connected wit the parts exteniiing'outwardly from the hubs, the conductors of the internal circuit being mounted on the drum, and suitable connections between the internal and external circuits, substantially as described.

3. In an adjustable electrolier, the combination with a stationary su port provided with an axle, a sprin -held rum `ournaled on the axle 'and provided Witha hollowjournal engiging the stationary support in line with t e axle, internal circuit-conductors said` conductors may pass to allow them to leave the drum t ough a hollow journal of thelatter, an\ .external circuit, electrodes mounted on the hollow journal with which the internal circuit-conductors are-connected, both electrodes' being'v located on the same IOO IIO

f Yams'of L s. side ofthe drum and one-being surrounded, ter l provided with an opening to allow .I bytheother, and stationarycontactsconnectf .lthesai conductors to passI mwardly and ving the said electrodes with the external cirthrough tliehollow axle of the drum, elecrcuit-conductors, substantially as described, j! vtrodesrim'iur'ited on the hollow ljournal and 5 4. In a device of the class described, thegl with Which-gl'the internal.A circuit-conductors-zo combination with a suitable stationary sup-1"A are connected, external circuit conductorsl port, 'an axle mounted onsaid 'support Where-. 1 and contacts vconnecting the electrodes ofthe by it is locked against rotation, a ratchet fast internal circuitwith the external circuit-conon the axle, 'a drum jlournaled on the axle and ductors, substantiallyas described Io provided with a hol ow journal engaging the In testimony vyliere'of IaHX; my signature 2 5 stationary sugport in line with the axle; -in presenceoftwo witnesses.

pawlsY carried y the drum and Iengaging the y. f. ALTON HOPKINS- ratchet on the axle, a spring connection'be- Witnesses:

.tween the drum and the axle, internal lcir-y` 'DENA NELSON, i

y I 5 cuit-conductors Wound on the drum, the lat-2y EA; J. OEBBIEN 

